By Kenneth Cross
TAMPA, Fla. – The South Florida Bulls fought off several Temple runs and finished on a 10-2 run of their own to take down the Owls, 76-68, at Yuengling Center on Thursday evening.
Temple guard Hysier Miller cut the USF lead to 66-65 with 1:54 remaining, but Kobe Knox scored off of a layup and Selton Miguel hit a three off of the right-wing to allow the Bulls to take a hard-fought win in the AAC opener for both teams.
“I am really proud of this group, their resolve, and perseverance through a really tough, physical game,” said South Florida head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim.
Chris Youngblood led four Bulls in double figures as he scored eight of his 17 points in just over three minutes midway through the first half.
“Once you step into the new year, conference is a whole new season at 0-0,” explained Youngblood. “That’s pretty much every body’s mindset.”
Once again, freshman point guard Jayden Reid played a key role in the Bulls’ fifth consecutive win.
After Temple’s Jordan Riley gave the Owls a 44-43 lead, Reid conversely hit a three from the right wing. He then broke down his defender and scored on a layup on the left side of the lane as USF took a 48-44 lead with 11:28 to play.
“Both teams came out with a lot of energy,” said Reid. “They were going to the glass hard. They were pressuring us. Being physical. It was a physical game so we were ready for it.”
Reid had helped to bring the Bulls back from a 22-14 deficit in the first half as he hit a 20-foot jumper off the right wing and then nailed a three on the left side in a Bulls’ 15-2 run with 2:06 remaining before halftime.
“This young fellow is growing up before our eyes,” said Abdur-Rahim. “He plays some really mature basketball and he played a great game. To have the 14 points to go with the five assists and five rebounds and only have two turnovers in 25 minutes, show me another freshman in the country, who has those numbers. The dude is the real deal and I am just proud of his growth and commitment.”
Reid has started to make excellent decisions on whether to look for his own shot or find a teammate in one of the Bulls’ half-court sets.
Reid and his teammates capitalized on the defensive end late in the first half as they held Temple to 2-of-10 from the field over the last eight minutes. Riley scored both baskets with the last coming with 49 seconds remaining before halftime.
“We knew heading into that last segment of half, we weren’t playing our style of defense,” Youngblood commented. “We made a point in all our time outs and huddles and at half to finish it.”
Reid watches film with the USF coaches and now has begun to see the game as his coaches would.
“Christmas break is one of the best times of the year,” Abdur-Rahim said. “As a player, I said to him, when I was in college, my teammates and I said, ‘It’s pro time.’ You could get up go to the gym at 9:00 in the morning and get some shots up and go back and get a good nap. You don’t have to worry about class or study hall. All of those guys, along with the staff, came in and got extra work up. What Jayden has done, he has spent so much time watching film with the coaches.”
Youngblood led the Bulls with 17 points as he had 12 of those points in the second half. Knox netted 15 while Reid and Miguel had 14 each.
Riley’s 21 lead all scorers as he was 9-of-18 from the floor. Miller, the Owls’ leading scorer, met his average with 17 points although South Florida held him to 0-of-8 from behind the three-point line.